Obviously Oblivious
by Lady Henrietta
Summary: Dumbledore decides to let the staff play Truth or Dare to boost moral.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, things, and ideas, (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J.K. Rowlings. Takes place during Harry's third year.

Obviously Oblivious

"Woman, I know what I saw and I am well within my rights to give Granger detention for helping Longbottom when I specifically told her to let him do his own work!" Severus Snape spat.

"If you could stop scaring the living daylights out of your students for ten minutes, then you would see that Mr. Longbottom needs that extra help!" Minerva McGonagall argued with him as they walked through the corridor toward the Great Hall for the evening meal.

He scoffed. "I seem to recall you putting the fear of Merlin into Malfoy when you gave him detention for something that could hardly be called an altercation."

She glared at him mercilessly. "He turned Mr. Weasley into a rooster."

"Your Gryffindors are too sensitive about having their own pranks pulled on them," he jabbed.

"And your Slytherins don't play fair," she countered.

The two stopped abruptly and faced each other. "If you weren't always so nosy, making irrational complaints about Slytherins, I might actually have to take you seriously!" he glowered.

She rolled her eyes. "And if you weren't always blaming Gryffindors for everything, I might actually listen to you," she threw back.

They stood almost nose to nose and suddenly they both realized it. _Merlin, her eyes are beautiful. If only there was a chance that she did not despise me_, Severus thought to himself. However, Minerva was indeed having similar thoughts. _I am tired of arguing with him like this. He has a most attractive voice. If only he could tolerate me_, she pondered.

Albus Dumbledore picked that moment to walk over to them. "If you two could carry on a conversation without rivalry or discussion of students, I wonder what it would sound like," he mused, causing them to step apart instantly.

"I'm not sure if that is possible," Minerva muttered.

"Possible or not, there is a staff meeting that you two really ought to attend," Albus said, walking past them.

"He's up to something," she commented.

"Most definitely," Severus added.

They made their way to the staff room and took their seats. Then Albus spoke, looking around the room at everyone. "It has come to my attention that morale is seriously lacking these days, with the discomfort of the Sirius Black situation. Therefore we will only be playing a game at this meeting. The muggles have invented this interesting game called 'Truth or Dare,' and that shall be our game today."

_Good gad, the man's finally lost it_. "Headmaster, must we participate?" Severus inquired.

Albus chuckled. "My boy, of course all of you must. Now let it begin, Filius," Albus turned to his right to talk to Filius Flitwick, "truth or dare?"

The little goblin thought for a moment. "I think 'truth' would be appropriate."

"What was the most embarrassing prank a student ever pulled on you?"

"Hmm," he paused. "Oh gracious, how could I forget? Fred and George Weasley put honey in my chair one day and I did not notice it. I was stuck in my chair for the whole day because they caused the honey to crystallize quickly."

Serena Sinsistra laughed. "I wish I had known about that; it would have been entertaining to pay you a visit that day."

"Serena, truth or dare?" Filius asked, wanting to continue the game.

"Dare," she replied with confidence.

He smiled mischievously. "Say the French alphabet backwards, and don't bother denying that you speak French, I've heard you swear in French walking down the halls."

The rest of the staff laughed and the Astronomy professor sighed resolutely. She executed the dare well, noting Remus Lupin's amusement. "I'm glad you thought that was funny, Remus. Now, truth or dare?"

Being a Gryffindor, he chose 'dare' as a matter of pride. Serena's smile was very Slytherin. "Sing 'I'm a little teapot,' but as if you were singing in an opera."

Even Severus chuckled at his attempt. "It would be even better if you wore one of those hats with horns and braids, Lupin," he teased.

Remus turned to Severus and asked, "Truth or dare?"

_I loathe this game. Gryffindors are known for pulling all sorts of unpleasant stunts, therefore I'll go with the lesser of the two evils_, Severus rationalized. "Truth."

"Which female staff members do you have a crush on?" the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor inquired.

Severus blinked twice and stared at Remus as if the man had Medusa's hair. "I most certainly do not have a crush on any of them! That is the most ridiculous question I have had the displeasure of listening to!" he declared.

Remus thought for a moment and then a sly smile appeared on his face. "Then it's a male staff member, isn't it?"

"That's preposterous! What ever gave you that idea?" Severus demanded.

The werewolf chuckled. "You hide yourself from women and you rarely ever deal with them, so you can't have a crush on what you do not talk to."

"And what misguided upside-down logic have you been looking at?" the other man questioned.

"It's alright man, just come on out of the closet and be done with it," Remus encouraged.

The Potions Master glared at him mercilessly and stood up, his hands bunching into fists. "Shut up, you stupid werewolf, I'm not gay! I have a crush on Minerva McGonagall!"

Suddenly the room had become deathly quiet. Severus placed his hand over his mouth and sat down quietly, not daring to look up, let alone look over at Minerva. He failed to notice that she was smiling at him.


	2. Minerva's dare

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, things, and ideas, (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J.K. Rowlings. The diricawl was from the Harry Potter Lexicon website.

Chapter 2: Minerva's dare

Wanting desperately not to be the center of attention, Severus looked over at Sybil Trelawny and asked, "Truth or dare?"

She fiddled with her coke-bottle glasses a moment and then placed her fingers at her temples. "My inner eye says that I should choose 'truth.'"

Severus smirked wickedly. "Whom have you been visiting at St. Mungo's?"

Sybil's jaw dropped at the question. Severus sat back with his hands folded. "Are you going to answer or not?"

She huffed resolutely. "I have been helping Guilderoy Lockhart with his memory problems."

"You mean that you've been trying to convince him that you two were an item before he lost his memory," Severus added. Sybil blushed and glared at him, but said nothing.

At last the seer turned toward Hagrid. "Truth or dare?" she asked him.

"I'll choose 'truth' too. I 'ave a feelin' that it's the safer one of 'em," he replied.

"Have your creatures ever gotten out and caused trouble at the school?" she probed.

He laughed heartily. "I had a diricawl once, ya know those birds that the muggle-born students call 'dodo birds?' It got loose and wandered into the school, endin' up in Professor Snape's Potions class. It did what it does best, vanished, leavin' it's feathers behind. Some of the feathers ended up in poor Mr. Longbottom's potion before his cauldron exploded, or at least that was what the students in the back row told me."

"That explains a few things," Severus muttered.

"Truth or dare?" Hagrid asked Pomona Sprout.

She smiled calmly and said, "Dare."

"Immitate a mandrake bein' pulled from its pot," the half-giant suggested.

The whole staff covered their ears as Pomona let out a scream that could have shattered eardrums. "I believe you have invented a new decibel," Rolanda Hooch remarked, removing her hands from her ears.

"Why thank you. Truth or dare, Ro?" Pomona continued the game.

"Truth," the flying instructor stated with confidence.

Pomona grinned. "Do you really referee every single Quidditch game? I mean, you broke your arm before the last one."

Rolanda sighed and glanced up at everyone, that question not being what she had expected. "Alright, I admit it: I use polyjuice when I can't referee the games and Fred or George Weasley takes over for the game."

Some of the staff members snickered. Severus dealt her one of his more deadly glares, but spoke in his usual even tone. "So more people than Miss Granger use my ingredients without permission to make polyjuice. And Rolanda really, letting the Weasley twins referee? It's a wonder that we do not have more accidents!"

"Oh, it's only once in a while," she retorted. Then she turned toward Minerva and smiled maliciously. "Min, truth or dare?"

_She is the only one who could possibly know how I really feel about Severus, so I will go with 'dare,'_ she elected. "Dare."

Smiling slyly, Rolanda leaned close to Minerva so that no one else would here her dare. "Go kiss Severus, and make it good."

Minerva whipped her head around to face Rolanda and glare at her with irritation. "That man has already been embarrassed enough. I will not add to what has been done. He doesn't deserve to be completely humiliated," she argued, unfortunately just loudly enough for the entire faculty to hear.

The flying instructor simply sat back and smirked. "It's not a humiliation if it's what you want as well."

_Well, here goes the old 'Gryffindor' courage_, Minerva thought as she stood. She took a deep breath and slowly crossed the room, walking over to Severus. He watched her with curiosity, and then became white as a sheet when she stepped close enough to lean down and place her right hand on his shoulder.

She looked directly into his onyx eyes as she spoke. "Severus, there is something that I want to tell you," she said before carefully sitting in his lap and touching his face with her left hand. "I have a crush on you too."

He was too stunned to respond. At that moment she leaned forward and her lips touched his for a sound kiss. He suddenly forgot that anyone else was in the room as he began responding to her. They parted for oxygen and smiled at each other. Then he wrapped his arms around her, holding her on his lap, and kissed her passionately. When he deepened the kiss, she pulled closer to him and the kiss intensified.

"Well I guest we can count those two out for the rest of the game," Poppy Pomfrey commented.

The two slowly ended the kiss and Minerva spoke, still sitting on Severus' lap. "Not quite. Poppy, truth or dare?"

"Truth," the medwitch replied.

"Who do you go out and visit once a month, taking medical potions with you?" Minerva probed.

Poppy took a deep breath. "Alastor Moody is a bit clumsy and he prefers to deal with me rather than someone from St. Mungo's. You know how paranoid he is."

Rolanda smirked mischievously. "Poppy, I believe you left something out."

"Good grief," the medwitch said with a sigh. "Is everyone's business being aired out today? I admit it; Alastor and I are also seeing each other."

"Well, this has been quite an interesting game, don't you all think so? I suggest that we adjourn," Albus quickly remarked.

"Not so fast, Albus," Minerva called from Severus' lap. "It's your turn," she told him with a feline grin.

"Truth or dare?" Poppy asked him.

"I've always liked surprises, so I will choose 'dare,'" he replied.

Poppy walked over to him and whispered something. He eyed her thoughtfully and then smiled. "Well Poppy, I do believe that is an excellent idea." With that, he caused it to rain lemon drops in the staff room.

Everyone stood and shielded their heads as they dashed out of the room to avoid being hit by the candy. "Well, I suppose that's one way to empty a room," Rolanda commented as they all stood in the hall.

"Now, this meeting is adjourned," Albus restated.

As the others went their separate directions, Minerva and Severus walked together. "It would seem that both of us do a very good job of hiding our feelings," he remarked.

She took the arm that he offered her. "Yes, I quite agree." When they stopped by her quarters, she turned so that they were almost nose to nose. "If you can swallow that Slytherin arrogance of yours, I'd be delighted if you would join me for dinner tonight. The Great Hall becomes tedious after a while."

His smirk broke into a grin. "I shall oblige if you can suppress that Gryffindor pride of yours for a while."

Her lips brushed his lightly. "I think we can work something out," she remarked before they entered her quarters.

Fin….

(I just wanted to write something short this time and the idea struck me as funny. My thanks to chico's rhia, rainiejanie, excessivelyperky, OSUSprinks, miyabinohana, NaginiFay, for reviewing :D)


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